The March 16 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board was especially noteworthy as the new bylaws the board has been working on for just over a year have been completed. The Public Hearing for a new Cottage Neighborhoods and Accessory Dwelling Units were studied one more time before the board voted to close the public hearing and send the documents off for legal review.

            Several times during the course of the board’s deliberation in these matters, the Cottage style developments were referred to as “affordable,” causing some confusion.

            Town Planner Victoria Alfaro confirmed that the new cottage bylaw is not for the construction of subsidized units or housing units geared towards income-restricted persons. Board member Bill Winnerberg stated, “these are not affordable units, they are attainable housing.”

            A copy of the drafted bylaws is available from the Planning Board office.

            A continued site-plan review for 92 Marion Road for the construction of 24 motel units, as proposed by Sonal Patel/Krishi Kishan Corp, was not heard as the applicants withdrew the application.

            A small land transfer to the Mattapoisett Land Trust for a lot located at 0 Cove Road was granted under Approval Not Required.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for April 6.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

            The Marion Marine Resources Commission met on Thursday, March 11 in the Maritime Center and touched upon the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the harbor management plan, various capital improvement projects, and the development of more kayak racks in town.

            The main talking point was a meeting with UMASS Boston representatives about the importance of implementing a formal harbor plan.

            The school members noted that such a plan would engage the public more. MRC members said that a plan could help alleviate confusion as to whether the plan represents an arbitrary regulation instead of something that people helped develop.

            UMass representatives noted that it could improve access to shoreline, including for those with disabilities. It was noted the work can also help educate the public on how climate change can impact future access to shorelines.

            There is funding in place for a master harbor plan, and commissioners said the MRC would help with engaging the community while UMass could help with technical aspects and collect data from the public. They mentioned that in one community there was a public outcry for more public access in one area that was once seen as not accessible.

            UMass said they would like to have a kickoff meeting with the public in the spring, followed by a public survey. After collecting data and analyzing it in the summer and fall, the consultants expect to share a draft in the fall.

            Once the MRC reviews it, it will then go back to the public, usually in the winter. After that, it would seek final approval. The school representatives said they have other options for implementing the strategies.

            MRC members stated they are an advisory committee; the Select Board would get final approval. Members added that the town’s Open Space plan is relatively new and might be a good resource to understand public needs and understanding. UMass responded that that situation is standard, so there would not be a need to start a new committee.

            The next meeting of the Marion Marine Resource Commission was not scheduled at adjournment.

Marion Marine Resource Commission

By Jeffrey D. Wagner

            The Marion Finance Committee, in their mission to square away the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, met with Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Assistant Superintendent Howie Barber on March 12 to go over school budgets across the Tri-Town: specifically, ORR and Sippican.

            They began by highlighting big changes going forward into the next school year/fiscal year. Nelson began by mentioning the total yearly budget would be $5,360,000, which had been pushed down closer to $5,100,000 per request from the FinCom. There have been two major changes, Nelson said, since the last time the committee saw the budget.

            “There has been some changes, fundamentally,” said Nelson. “We have firmed up our projections around enrollment, knowing our kindergarten numbers.” He also referenced Special Education needs, which have been accounted for in the revised budget. He also said from the previous budget that the FinCom saw, there has since been the removal of two full-time employees.

            Barber would state the current budget has not yet been approved by the school committee, though this is what will be presented to them. He also clarified that the mentioned loss of full-time employee positions, or FTE’s, would not incur any active job cuts as they “are not going to be impacted by active staff. We have enrollments, and because of the attrition … the steps and levels of those, the staff members are and so forth, it allows us to make these updates without impacting staff that are currently in our bargaining groups.”

            That is to say, these positional cuts will not affect any active staff and would instead only affect future postings. Barber reiterated that these proposals would not impact any staff members. There is one retirement and one transfer, meaning those positions would not retroactively be filled.

            The superintendent went on to refer to a “steady decline” in enrolment. He mentioned rising costs, saying, “I understand it may be hard for a lot of families or young families to move into the Tri-Town.” He’d add, referring to future enrolment, “I don’t see a big spike coming in the near future.”

            Funding for DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) was also brought up, which serves as a screener for literacy levels that then, in turn, allows for early intervention. Nelson stated it was, “to see if kids are progressing where they should developmentally.” He added the three-year grant that covered DIBELS is now expired. He said the schools cannot go without this program due to state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regulation. Therefore, the program will now have to be paid without state or federal assistance.

            FinCom member Shay Assad said he noticed legal costs on the budget were up 25%, asking, “do you anticipate some issue that you’ve got to deal with?” Barber responded, saying historical, legal costs have continued to rise without the budget thus far accounting for the gradual change. He clarified it is based on a potential need without citing any exact legal challenge in the future.

            Next, the large jump in costs for a school psychologist were brought up, from $66,000 to $103,000. Nelson said they had been unable to hire in that crucial position, necessitating it be contracted out either “retirees or companies that will do psychological assessments that we are required to do.”

            He would follow up, saying, “Point blank, there are certain positions that are very difficult to fill for school districts. School nurses, speech and language pathologists, and school psychologists are the top three, in my humble opinion, and we do not think it makes fiscal sense to continue to budget at a step-two, step-three (level), which is what we do with classroom teachers. So, with a school psychologist, we believe that we need to be fiscally responsible and have a more realistic job-salary range. We think it actually will save money compared to contracting out for each.”

            For further increased costs, Barber would mention the new health insurance provider, Mayflower, highlighting increased premium costs would be around $420,000, though this will rise or fall depending on enrollment numbers.

            The next meeting of the Marion Finance Committee was scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 pm where the committee was to discuss the Town Meeting Warrant.

Marion Finance Committee

By Sam Bishop

            The Rochester Select Board heard from Town Administrator Cameron Durant on the status of the FY27 school budget during its meeting on Monday night.

            Durant reported Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School’s overall FY27 budget to its five member towns will be a 4.8% increase, yet Rochester’s share will be a $260,000 reduction because the town is sending 22 fewer students there.

            Meanwhile, the Old Rochester Regional School District budget will see a 6.8% increase, or an $860,000 budget increase, that the town will be asked to spend over its FY26 budget, though Rochester will have 20 fewer students at ORR in the next school year.

            Durant noted the town budget is still facing currently a $450,000 deficit. “The Rochester Memorial School’s next budget meeting was scheduled for March 25,” he said. “I’ve asked them to postpone that meeting to await additional discussion.”

            Regarding state funding for schools, Durant announced the town’s Chapter 90 program funding for FY27 will be $531,477. Durant noted this is a slight reduction over last year.

            In other action, the Select Board approved Police Chief Michael Assad’s recommendation to appoint two new full-time police patrol officers with extensive backgrounds, Paul M. Douglas and Christopher Coyman, at the board’s meeting on Monday night.

            Douglas, Assad said, has 25 years of experience in corrections and multi-agency enforcement operations. He is currently a deputy sheriff with the Plymouth County’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations and a deputy with the US Marshals Service with a top-secret security clearance. Coyman is currently a deputy sheriff/identification officer for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department Bureau of Criminal Investigations. He’s also a special police officer with the Pembroke Police Department and a crisis negotiator with the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council.

            As former Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson and a roomful of other supporters looked on, Assad started by noting the Rochester Police Department has lost two officers to job transfers. One officer has taken a position with the New Bedford Police Department. The other has decided to step away from law enforcement work to pursue “other” opportunities. “These transitions provide us with the opportunity to bring in new officers who are fully committed to the mission of the Rochester Police Department,” he said.

            The board appointed Carol Hardy to the Events Committee.

            The board approved the Tour de Creme route through town on May 31 and the Patriot Half Triathlon’s town route on June 13.
            The board chose Paul Ciaburri as its representative on the Acushnet Board of Health Agreement negotiation panel.

            Durant announced the town website has officially changed from an address of “.com” to “.gov.”
            Durant announced Eversource has notified the town it will conduct scheduled vegetation maintenance work this spring at 237 Vaughan Hill Road, 85 Alley Road and 8 Union Church Terrace.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, April 6 at 6:00 pm in Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco